Hello Xbox community! Today is a big day for Total War: Warhammer III as we release our latest – and very heavy metal-sounding – content pack, Omens of Destruction, right in time for the holiday season.

With a DLC name that strikes fear into the hearts of mere mortals, it welcomes four new infamous Legendary Lords into our ever-growing pantheon of playable characters from the Warhammer world, each with brand-new gameplay features, battle units and objectives.

The Lords in Omens of Destruction are Skulltaker, Gorbad Ironclaw and Golgfag Maneater – and we’reoffering another Legendary Lord, Arbaal the Undefeated for free, for all players. The introduction of these new Legendary Lords also brings our total number of playable characters up to an incredible 100, meaning there’s a huge variety of ways in which you can conquer our vast strategic fantasy world.

To celebrate this milestone, I wanted to talk through the process of picking a Legendary Lord to convert from the tabletop game, and some of my favorite stories from our time creating them.

How We Choose a Legendary Lord

Legendary Lords are the primary commanders of your armies in game, each of which hails from one of Warhammer’s uniquely weird, wild and wonderful array of races. These range from humans, elves and dwarves to daemons, ratmen and even vampire pirates – therefore, it’s essential that who we choose to include in game aligns with the established lore. There’s no shortage of potential characters and Lords to include in a DLC, given the library of lore that has been maintained by Games Workshop since the 1980s, but we always try to ensure that whatever we offer is bringing something fresh to the table and is actively complimenting the game.

Throughout our journey on the Total War: Warhammer series, which has lasted an astonishing eight years, the guiding tome of knowledge for what we include has generally been Warhammer 8^th Edition, as this is the most recent compendium for the world in terms of rules, lore, and army compositions for the tabletop game. However, with each new game and DLC, we get another step closer to bringing the army books fully to life, meaning we’ve had to delve into all sorts of intriguing supplementary sources such as the Monstrous Arcanum, Tamurkhan campaign book, and even excerpts from the eternal pages of White Dwarf magazine.

Having these sources of inspiration has been invaluable for us game developers, and the characters we’ve included really highlight the diverse tapestry of storytelling within Warhammer.

My Favorite Creations

Choosing a single favorite Legendary Lord is like choosing a favorite child – impossible. Throughout the series we’ve made a real conscious effort to ensure that we’re not only providing Legendary Lords as part of DLC, but frequently designing some to be given away for free if you own the game.

As part of our Prophet and the Warlock DLC we introduced the mad scientist of Warhammer creations, Ikit Claw as a new Skaven Legendary Lord. As a game developer it’s always invigorating when you get to work on something that pushes the boundaries of your design direction, and he embodies that like few others. The greatest of all Warlock engineers, his gameplay is all about building hellish weapons of war like a cartoon villain and watching the campaign map go boom!

In terms of free content, Repanse de Lyonesse is one of those special characters. As a big fan of history, she really encapsulates that Jean of Arc mold of a fearless female warrior on horseback who goes crusading on behalf of her kingdom, amassing huge armies of knights and trebuchets to conquer the inhospitable deserts of the Southlands. She offers great roleplaying potential for those looking to blur the lines between a historic and fantasy experience.

Fans of the series will also know that I’m a huge Lizardman fan, which began all the way back when I was introduced to the tabletop game. Therefore, I’ve got to include Tictaq’to in this royal rumble. He was our first Lizardman to be given away for free and he rides into battle atop a flying mount in the form of a Terradon, ruthlessly dropping death from above on his foes. He’s effectively a deadly dinosaur riding another deadly dinosaur into battle – what’s not to love?

Our Most Challenging Creations

Over the years we’ve been lucky to have built up a fantastic relationship with Games Workshop and nowhere is that more evident than when they collaborated with us to create a brand-new character, Cylostra Direfin, to take the role of a Legendary Lord. Creating an undead sea-witch (who happens to captain a ghost galleon that marauds around the campaign map causing untold skullduggery) was an exciting opportunity, but also one that came with a pirate’s trove of challenges that we were experiencing for the first time. One of the biggest of these challenges was just making sure she felt like a natural fit alongside all of the established lore, as this was something we knew our fans would be particularly keen to ensure we got right.

Beyond individual characters, entire races within the Warhammer world can pose their own unique challenges too. A perfect example of this is the fabled Wood Elves, an elite Elven army that strives to protect nature, and in particular the great Woodland of Athel Loren. The problem? They’re isolationists, which on paper doesn’t exactly gel particularly well with a strategy game in which we encourage you to conquer the world. The solution was building a campaign that still revolved around their protectionist nature, but provided unique ways in which they could traverse the world to enact destruction upon all those who threaten to disturb their habitats.

Play Omens of Destruction Now

If you’re interested in embarking on campaigns of hero-slaying, mercenary conflict, and brutal battle tactics, Omens of Destruction is available now on the Microsoft Store. Alternatively, if you just want to jump into the fray for free, Arbaal the Undefeated is also available to play for all owners of Total War: Warhammer III. Happy Holidays!

Total War: Warhammer III

SEGA

☆☆☆☆☆
20

★★★★★

Get it now

Total War: WARHAMMER III – Immortal Empires is now available to all owners of Total War: WARHAMMER III.

Any content purchased across the Total War: WARHAMMER franchise is now available to use in Immortal Empires without the required ownership of Total War: WARHAMMER & Total War: WARHAMMER II. For more information, please visit our FAQ on the Total War Blog.

IMMORTAL EMPIRES IS OUT NOW.

Immortal Empires is the culmination of the entire Total War: WARHAMMER series. Combining the campaign maps, races, and factions from all three games* into a single, epic sandbox campaign. It’s the most complete and definitive Warhammer strategy experience ever conceived!

*Owners of Total War WARHAMMER III must own Total War: WARHAMMER and Total War: WARHAMMER II to start their own Immortal Empires Campaign. However, players who only own WARHAMMER III may join Immortal Empires multiplayer campaigns launched by an owner of all three games.

THE WORLD TEETERS ON THE BRINK OF CHAOS

The last roar of a dying god ruptures the boundary between worlds, opening a portal to the Realm of Chaos. From this maelstrom, the four Ruinous Powers – Khorne, Nurgle, Tzeentch and Slaanesh – emerge, spreading darkness and despair. The stern warriors of Kislev and the vast empire of Grand Cathay stand at the threshold, as a vengeful Daemon Prince vows to destroy those who corrupted him. The coming conflict will engulf all. Will you conquer your daemons? Or command them?

RAISE A MIGHTY ARMY
With seven unique races and hundreds of units under your command, raise an army and dominate in epic real-time battles across a world of breathtaking scale and spectacle.

BUILD AN EMPIRE
In the most ambitious and groundbreaking Total War title to date, dive into a captivating narrative that will take you to the mind-bending Realm of Chaos and back again. Forge your empire in a strategy sandbox that ensures no two campaigns are ever the same.

CHOOSE YOUR HERO
Play as 10 Legendary Lords! Will you side with the Chaos Gods and take one of their Daemonic Champions, play as an ancient transforming Dragon from Grand Cathay, defend the frozen nation of Kislev with the Ice Queen or play the ultimate villain as the Daemon Prince?

UNLEASH YOUR INNER DAEMON
Customise the Daemon Prince to your own unique design with a huge suite of body parts and powers, creating billions of potential combinations to suit your own playstyle.

MULTIPLAYER CHAOS
Multiplayer is now bigger than ever. With the vast 8-player Realm of Chaos multiplayer campaign, the intense 1 v 1 Domination mode, the story-driven multiplayer campaigns built around Kislev and Grand Cathay and ranked & custom battles, there’s no shortage of ways to cause chaos with friends.

Hello Adventurers! Today marks a huge milestone for our small studio, IronOak Games. We are ecstatic to let the Xbox community know that you will be able to play For the King II via Xbox Game Pass on December 12!

We expect there to be hardened veterans of For the King reading this, but new recruits are joining the ranks of the Resistance, so gather round and let us tell you more about what awaits you…

For The King II is the sequel to the massively popular For The King. Building on the successes of its predecessor, For The King II follows suit by bringing innovation and exciting gameplay to a much-loved RPG that blends the borders of rogue-lite elements and tabletop gameplay. There’s multiplayer, grid-based combat, fantastical adventure, and it’s flooded with opportunities for terrible party decisions. What more could you want? We have already been out for a year on Steam, which means Xbox users will receive the best version of the game, including the new infinite dungeon mode, skins, items, and plenty more!

So, what is threatening Fahrul, you ask? The once beloved Queen Rosomon has turned against her subjects, gained immeasurable power, and partnered with nefarious forces both old and new. Gather your party in four player co-op, or adventure alone through Fahrul as you risk everything to fight the tyrannical queen and bring an end to her oppressive reign.

Entering Fahrul For The First Time?

Each biome has a Sanctum and a Stone Hero. Make sure to find each of them before moving into a new area. Sanctums give great buffs and a revive, while Stone Heroes are crucial to help level up quickly.

The Biggest Changes Between For The King and For The King II

The most obvious change is that we’ve expanded the party size. For The King II allows up to four players so you can have a bigger party, or you can play in a group of two and no one is the odd person out now that each can control two characters. Another really big change is combat. Combat now takes place on a grid, rather than a single line. We’ve added a ton of new mechanics that allow for AOE spells, movement across tiles, tile buffs and debuffs, row attacks. There are a lot of ways to take on the baddies of Fahrul.

Perfect Party Composition

I like to head out into Fahrul with the Hunter, Herbalist, Busker, and Blacksmith. This gives me a blend of magical and physical damage while getting a good range of flexibility across most stats. After unlocking more characters I do like to run with the Alchemist equipped with the Nimble trait.

What Makes For The King II Replayable?

Two areas really stick out for me with how replayable and addictive FTKII is. Multiplayer being one, it’s a great game to hop in and out of with different friend groups, and different playstyles; two, there are so many ways to approach each chapter, or the Dark Carnival that no two runs are ever the same.

Thank you for being part of our next chapter, and we hope you enjoy For The King II!

John Carpenter’s iconic 1982 horror classic “The Thing” has inspired countless creators over the years, including Computer Artworks, the studio behind 2002’s The Thing, a video game adaptation that takes place after the events of the film.

In the game, Captain J.F. Blake leads a team of U.S. Special Forces in an investigation of Outpost 31. There, Blake and his crew must defend themselves from hostile alien life, and each other, as infections arise.

Despite being released 20 years after the 1982 film, The Thing has become more of a challenge to revisit than its original source of inspiration. While you can easily purchase or stream the film, 2002’s The Thing often requires nostalgic gamers to track down a physical copy along with the necessary hardware to play it on.

This is where Nightdive comes in with The Thing: Remastered, available on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One today. It’s a revitalization of the almost-lost game that stays true to the creators’ original vision.

Understanding The Source Material

Nightdive’s goal is to bring lost and forgotten games like The Thing back from the depths. Not only so people can revisit their favorites on modern platforms like Xbox Series X|S, but also to preserve these games for future generations.

Game preservation is something I recently stressed the importance of while writing about Killing Time: Resurrected, and the same remains true for The Thing: Remastered. All games deserve to be preserved, but preservation isn’t as simple as applying a fresh coat of paint. One of the challenges in using remasters as a form of preservation is keeping the remaster as faithful to the original as possible.

With this in mind, Nightdive worked closely with members of the original Computer Artworks staff, including art director Ron Ashtiani and technical director Mark Atkinson, both of whom are well-versed in the game they helped create and the 1982 film.

“I‘d seen the film before the project, but re-watched it multiple times when we started the game,” explains Computer Artworks technical director, Mark Atkinson. “We wanted to preserve the feel of the movie and what made it scary in terms of a survival horror.”

For Ron Ashtiani, the movie “scared the hell out of me, but also sparked my interest in sci-fi horror.” He went on to reflect how ahead of its time the film was. “It was made before the days of studios relying on an abundance of CG effects to wow the viewer.”

In addition to being ahead of its time visually, “The Thing” benefited from the captivating performance of actors like Kurt Russel and Keith David, and well-written screenplay courtesy of Bill Lancaster.

“I think one of the reasons ‘The Thing’ still holds up is due to the lingering mystery at the end — who was the Thing? It’s a smart movie, a masterclass in cinema,” remarks Joel Welsh, art lead on The Thing: Remastered at Nightdive Studios.

While it’s not required to watch “The Thing” before playing The Thing: Remastered, it does help broaden your knowledge of the peril Captain J.F. Blake and his team face as they explore Outpost 31. Both from alien creatures, and each other.

“Every scene was carefully detailed to make you wonder and be suspicious about everyone the whole time,” says Grover Wimberly IV, Nightdive’s project manager and producer on The Thing: Remastered. “For fans of Nightdive games who haven’t had a chance to watch ‘The Thing,’ I’d suggest watching before diving into the game.”

Remastering With The Masters

Mark Atkinson oversaw many technical aspects with 2002’s The Thing in addition to contributing to the game’s original design and coding alongside Computer Artworks’ talented team of engineers. Working on The Thing: Remastered with Nightdive, Atkinson took on a similar role.

“On the remaster, Ron and I were involved from the start, resurrecting the old code and master quality art assets, and helping guide the Nightdive team, e.g. what was intentional vs. where we just ran out of time to polish,” notes Atkinson.

“The remaster adds many significant upgrades in terms of gameplay, level design, UI, HUD etc., which go beyond a simple 4K reskin. Ron and I gave the green light to all of that, as well as consulting Andrew Curtis, the original game designer. In practical terms, I did a significant amount of C++ work as we wanted to really take the opportunity to make the remaster as good as possible.”

When asked about his experience working on 2002’s The Thing, Ashtiani recalls, “I joined the art team at Computer Artworks just after the game was fully signed after a successful prototype. Back then, art teams weren’t siloed into specific fields, but I mainly worked on the environments and built around half of the levels in the game.”

Again, Ashtiani reprised this hands-on role with The Thing: Remastered: “My role with Nightdive has been to co-lead the art team as the vision holder for the look of the game. I worked on setting the art direction for the remaster and ensuring that while we remaster the graphics and art assets, we don’t lose the essence of the original game.”

And this is important, because the essence of the original is inherently special. For the entire team, not just the artists, 2002’s The Thing needed to align with the 1982 film, and that took making the most of the technology and tools that were available at the time.

“We did the best we could with what we had,” Ashtiani explains. “We put a lot of work into capturing the isolation of the Antarctic and created a host of new and interesting creatures. However, lighting was an area we couldn’t match until the remaster.”

As well as the technical limitations, time constraints also contributed to some of the quirks players encountered in 2002’s The Thing, which Atkinson says has been addressed in the remaster.

”People loved the original game, but had some legitimate complaints, e.g. the scripted burst-outs, the difficulty is uneven, the combat was a little janky, the boss fights weren’t great,” admits Atkinson. “We went hard on fixing all that.”

The Thing: Remastered also benefits from the addition of modern gameplay elements such as third-person aiming, quick select wheels, the ability to use a controller on PC, and more. In terms of difficulty, Atkinson notes, “the game is still fairly hard, but not in such an uneven and sometimes frustrating way as the original.” There’s also the option now for players to select an easier difficulty setting, further expanding the game’s approachability.

Seconding this, Ashtiani says the remaster is true to 2002’s The Thing, but with improved gameplay balancing, control systems, UI improvements, among other quality-of-life adjustments.

“Graphically, it’s a big leap forward,” Ashiani adds. “We’ve been able to use all the lighting technology of today, plus higher resolution models and textures. We even managed to add some assets that were cut from the original game, creature variations in particular.”

A Team Effort

Having a team you can trust is important, not only when attempting to survive in the world of The Thing, but also in developing a quality remaster. Trust, communication, and teamwork between the original developers and the developers at Nightdive Studios were integral in resurrecting 2002’s The Thing.

“We made it a point to make sure Ron and Mark’s input were taken throughout the development process by consulting and having them at our team meetings when discussing adjustments, enhancements, and fixes to make sure it fit the spirit of the original 2002 release,” explains Wimblerly IV.

“Ron and Mark certainly left their mark, along with the rest of the team,” praises Welsh. “This is Nightdive/Atari’s most ambitious remaster to date, and we hope Xbox players have a blast with it. Just remember: No One Survives Alone!”

You don’t have to take our word for it, though. Whether you’re a fan of 2002’s The Thing, or simply want to check out a classic game you previously missed out on, you’ll be able to pay an eventful visit to Outpost 31 when The Thing: Remastered releases on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S today.

The Thing: Remastered

Nightdive Studios

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

No One Survives Alone.

The 2002 third-person survival horror shooter that serves as a sequel to the genre-defining 1982 film is back, remastered by Nightdive Studios to bring this innovative blend of fast paced squad action meets survival horror to the modern era. Including Antialiasing, Per Pixel Lighting, 4K Resolution and up to 120 FPS.

Where the movie ended, the true terror begins.

You are Cpt J.F. Blake, leader of a U.S. Special Forces rescue team sent to investigate the blood-curdling events and enigmatic deaths of the American scientific team that transpired at the Outpost 31 research facility located in the frozen wastelands of Antarctica. Within these inhospitable surroundings your team encounters a strange shape-shifting alien life-form that assumes the appearance of people that it kills. Trapped by the elements and infected by this horrific entity, using all your team members is critical if you hope to accomplish your objectives, let alone survive. If you only knew which ones were still human…